Speed changer for fishing reels

ABSTRACT

A speed changer for fishing reels, capable of carrying out a manual take-up speed changing operation easily and smoothly without damaging the surfaces of the teeth of the gears provided therein even when a take-up load is imparted on a spool, consisting of a driving gear-carrying driving shaft, a handle-carrying handle-turning tube mounted on the outer portion of the driving shaft via a one-way clutch so that the handle-turning tube can be turned unitarily with the driving shaft in the fishing line take-up direction, a pinion mounted on a spool-turning spool shaft, with which pinion the driving gear is meshed, planetary gears supported rotatably on shafts and provided in the inner end portion of the handle-turning tube, an internal gear mounted on and rotatable with the driving shaft, with which internal gear the outer portions of the planetary gears are meshed, a sun gear fitted rotatably around the driving shaft, with which sun gear the inner portions of the planetary gears are meshed, a change over member having locking teeth at the outer circumferential portion thereof and formed unitarily with the sun gear, and a stopper pawl formed so that the stopper pawl can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking teeth by an operating member.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 07/337,005, now U.S. Pat.No. 4,966,335 issued Oct. 30, 1990.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a fishing reel, and more particularly to aspeed changer for spool rotating fishing reels.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The known means for changing the take-up speed of a spool in a fishingreel include an automatic speed change system adapted to automaticallychange the take-up speed of a spool in accordance with the magnitude ofa take-up load on a fishing line, and a manual speed change systemadapted to change the take-up speed through a manual switchingoperation.

The automatic take-up speed change system seems to be convenient but,when an angler desires to take up the fishing line at a high speed or alow speed at his own will irrespective of the take-up load on thefishing line, the take-up speed cannot be changed. In such a case, themanual speed change system is conveniently used.

However, in a conventional manual speed change system of this kind, ahigh-speed driving gear and a low-speed gear mounted on a handle shaftare switched so as to be meshed with a high-speed pinion or a low-speedpinion both of which are mounted on a spool shaft, as disclosed inJapanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 182779/1985. In addition, everytime such a switching operation is carried out, the high- or low-speeddriving gear and high- or low-speed pinion are meshed with each otherfrom a disengaged state. Therefore, when a take-up load is imparted tothe fishing line, the driving gear switching and meshing operationscannot be smoothly carried out. Such gear switching and meshingoperations cause the meshed surfaces of the gear and pinion to bedamaged or worn easily, and make it necessary to increase the dimensionsof the fishing reel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a speed changer forfishing reels, which is free from the above-mentioned drawbacksencountered in a manual speed changer of this kind, and which is capableof changing a take-up speed of a spool easily and smoothly by handcarrying out a wide range of fishing operations in accordance with thefishing condition.

The first characteristic of the present invention resides in a fishingreel, in which a planetary gear mechanism consisting of a sun gear andplanetary gears is utilized so as to maintain a pinion on a spool shaftand a driving gear for turning the pinion in a constantly meshed state,and engage and disengage a stopper pawl with and from the locking teethof a change-over member provided on the sun gear, whereby the fishingline take-up speed is changed to a higher or lower level to enable thespeed switching resistance to be minimized even when a take-up load isimparted on the spool, in such a manner that a manual take-up speedchanging operation can be carried out easily and smoothly, and preventthe meshed surfaces of the teeth of the pinion and driving gear andthose of the teeth of the sun gear and planetary gears from beingdamaged or worn.

The second characteristic of the present invention resides in a fishingreel in which during a high-speed or low-speed take-up operation thepinion and driving gear do not receive frictional resistance whichcauses them to be turned idly, whereby a fishing line take-up operationcan be carried out lightly without causing the take-up efficiency todecrease.

The third characteristic of the present invention resides in a fishingreel in which the driving gear meshed with the pinion can be providedwith a drag mechanism similar to the drag mechanism in a conventionalfishing reel of this kind, whereby both the speed changing function anddragging function are provided compactly.

The fourth characteristic of the present invention resides in a fishingreel, which is capable of carrying out a manual take-up speed changingoperation having the above-mentioned features, a braking forceregulatable brake member being also engaged with the locking teeth ofthe change-over member so as to enable the take-up speed to be changedautomatically in accordance with a take-up load on the fishing line,whereby a wider range of fishing operation can be carried out inaccordance with the fishing condition.

The fifth characteristic of the present invention resides in a fishingreel capable of changing the take-up speed to a higher or lower levelspeedily and easily by the thumb of a hand holding the reel whilecontrolling the handle by the other hand, to enable the take-up speed tobe changed more speedily in accordance with the fishing condition, and afishing operation to be carried out smoothly and easily.

The above and other objects as well as advantageous features of theinvention will become apparent from the following description of thepreferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned front elevation of an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is partially cutaway view in side elevation of the embodiment ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same embodiment during a high-speedfishing line take-up operation, taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same embodiment during a low-speedfishing line take-up operation, taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the same embodiment taken along the lineB--B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional front elevation of a principal portion of anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partially sectioned front elevation of still anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway view in side elevation of the embodimentof FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are sectional views illustrating the operations of theembodiment of FIG. 7 and taken along the line C--C in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway view in side elevation of another exampleof a brake member of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of a principal portion of still anotherexample of the brake member of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a partially sectioned plan of a further embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway view in side elevation of the embodimentof FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The details of the present invention will now be described withreference to the drawings. A driving gear 6 mounted frictionally on atubular driving shaft 4 via a frictional brake member 5 is meshed with apinion 3 mounted on a locking portion of a spool shaft 2, on which aspool 1 is firmly fitted, in such a manner that the pinion 3 can beengaged with and disengaged from the locking portion. The driving shaft4 is fitted around a rotatable support shaft 8, which projects from aframe 7, in such a manner that the driving shaft 4 can be turned orprevent itself from being turned and be axially moved.

A short handle-turning tube 11, which is adapted to be turned unitarilywith the driving shaft 4 in the fishing line take-up direction only, andwhich has a handle 10 fixed thereto, is fitted around the driving shaft4 via a one-way clutch 9 utilizing a needle bearing. A plurality ofplanetary gears 12, 12 . . . arranged on the same circle are mountedrotatably on the front portion of the handle-turning tube 11 via a mount11'.

The inner portions of the planetary gears 12, 12 . . . are meshed with asun gear 13 mounted rotatably on the driving shaft 4, and the outerportions of the same gears 12, 12 . . . with an internal gear 14 engagedand rotatable with the driving shaft 4. A disc type change-over member16 having locking teeth 15 at the outer circumferential portion thereofis also mounted unitarily on the sun gear 13, and a stopper paw 20 whichis adapted to be operated by an operating member 18 supported pivotablyon a reel side plate 17, and which is urged by a spring 19, is engageddisengageably with the locking teeth 15. A regulating screw 21 forregulating the contact pressure of the frictional brake member 5 ismounted on the outer end portion of the support shaft 8 so that thefrictional binding force of the driving gear 6 with respect to thedriving shaft 4 can be regulated to a higher or lower level.

Therefore, when the handle-turning tube 11 is turned in the fishing linetake-up direction by the handle 10 with the stopper paw 20 engaged withthe locking teeth 15 of the change-over member 16 by the operatingmember 18 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, to prevent the sun gear 13 frombeing turned in the fishing line take-up direction, the planetary gears12 are turned around the driving shaft 4 as they rotate on their ownaxes, to rotate the internal gear 14 at an increased speed since theturning of the sun gear 13 is prevented by the stopper pawl 20, therotation of the internal gear 14 enabling the spool 1 to be rotated at ahigh speed in the fishing line take-up direction via the driving shaft4, driving gear 6, pinion 3, and spool shaft 2 which are connectedunitarily to the internal gear 14.

When the handle-turning tube 11 is turned in the fishing line take-updirection by the handle 10 with the stopper pawl 20 disengaged from thelocking teeth 15 as shown by a chain line in FIG. 4, by the operatingmember 18, the rotation of the same tube 11 is transmitted to thedriving shaft 4 via the one-way clutch 9. Since the sun gear 13 isdisengaged from the stopper paw 20, it is turned in accordance with therotation of the internal gear 14 with the sun gear 13 meshed with theplanetary gears 12, and the sun gear 13 does not receive the speedincreasing effect of the planetary gear mechanism. Thus, the turningforce of the handle 10 is transmitted to the spool 1 via the drivingshaft 4, pinion 3 and spool shaft 2 to rotate the spool 1 in the fishingline take-up direction.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a driving gear 6 is mounted firmly anddirectly on a driving shaft 4, and this driving shaft 4 is supporteddirectly as well on a frame 7 so that the driving shaft 4 can be turned.

FIGS. 7-10 show an embodiment formed so that a fishing line take-upspeed can be changed both manually and automatically. In thisembodiment, a gear type brake member 23 is mounted on a support shaft 22supported on a frame 7 of a reel side plate 17 similar to the reel sideplate in the previously-described embodiment, via a frictional member24, and the pressing force of the frictional member 24 is regulated by aregulating knob 25 screwed to the support shaft 22, so as to stop theturning of the brake member 23. The brake member 23 is engaged withlocking teeth 15 of a change-over member 16.

In order to carry out a manual speed changing operation, a stopper pawl20 is engaged with the locking teeth 15 by an operating member 18 asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9, so as to keep a sun gear 13 not rotatable in thefishing line take-up direction, and a handle-turning tube 11 is turnedin the fishing line take-up direction by a handle 10. Consequently, theplanetary gears 12 are turned around a driving shaft 4 as they rotate ontheir own axes in the same manner as in the previous embodiment, to turnan internal gear 14 at an increased speed. The turning force of theinternal gear 14 is transmitted to a spool 1 via the driving shaft 4,driving gear 6, pinion 3 and spool shaft 2, which are connectedunitarily to the internal gear 14, so that the spool can be turned at ahigh speed in the fishing line take-up direction.

In order to change this high-speed take-up mode to a low-speed take-upmode by a manual operation, the braking force of the brake member 23 isset minimal by the regulating knob 25, and the stopper pawl 20 is thenkept disengaged from the locking teeth 15 by the operating member 18 asshown in FIG. 10 with the handle-turning tube 11 turned in the fishingline take-up direction by the handle 10. As a result, the turning forceof the tube 11 is transmitted to the driving shaft 4 via the one-wayclutch 9, while the sun gear 13 engaged with the planetary gears 12 isturned in accordance with the turning of the internal gear 14 and doesnot receive the speed increasing effect of the planetary gear mechanism,the turning force of the driving gear 4 being transmitted to the spool 1via the driving gear 6, pinion 3 and spool shaft 2 to turn the spool 1at a low speed in the fishing line take-up direction.

In order to automatically change the fishing line take-up speed of thespool 1, the stopper pawl 20 is disengaged from the locking teeth 15 ofthe change-over member 16 by the operating member 18, and the brakingforce of the brake member 23 is set in accordance with the fishingconditions by the regulating knob 25.

When the handle 10 is then turned in the fishing line take-up direction,i.e., clockwise in FIG. 10, the handle-turning tube 11 is turnedunitarily therewith by the one-way clutch 9. Since the turning of thesun gear 13 is prevented by the brake member 23, the planetary gears 12are turned around the driving shaft 4 as they rotate on their own axes,to cause the internal gear 14 to be turned at an increased speed. Therotation of this internal gear 14 enables the spool 1 to be rotated at ahigh speed in the fishing line take-up direction via the driving shaft4, frictional brake member 5, driving gear 6, pinion 3 and spool shaft2.

When a take-up load given by a fish to the spool is then increased tocause the braking force of the brake member 23 to exceed a preset level,the rotation of the handle 10 in the fishing line take-up direction istransmitted to the driving shaft 4 via the handle-turning tube 11 andone-way clutch 9, so that the driving shaft 4 is directly connected toand rotated with the handle-turning tube 11. The sun gear 13 is turnedin accordance with the rotation of the internal gear 14 with the sungear kept meshed with the planetary gears 12, and the brake member 23 isslip-turned in accordance with the rotation of the sun gear 13, so thatthe turning of the planetary gears 12 on their own axes and around thedriving shaft 4 are stopped. Thus, the take-up speed is changedautomatically to a low level at which the sun gear 13 does not receivethe speed increasing effect of the planetary gear mechanism. When thetake-up load on the spool 1 has then decreased, the take-up speed isautomatically changed to the high level again.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the braking force of a brake member123 adapted to engage a locking tooth 15 is generated by utilizing atwisted coiled spring 124, the resilient force of which can be regulatedby a regulating knob 125, instead of the pressing force of thefrictional member 24 in the previously-described embodiment, and theslidable brake member 123 is engaged with a locking tooth 15 by theresilient force of the twisted coiled spring 124 via a guide 126.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a brake member 223 fitted around apin 226 via an elongated bore 227 is engaged with a locking tooth 15 bya spring 224 the traction force of which can be regulated by aregulating knob 225, and provided with a locking recess 229 engageablewith a locking projection 228 for keeping the brake member 223 spacedfrom the locking tooth 15, and a tension spring 230 for engaging thelocking recess 229 with the locking projection 228.

In an embodiment shown in FIGS. 13-14, an operating member 18 foroperating a stopper pawl 20 is provided at the upper front portion ofthe section of a reel side plate 17 which is on the side of a handle 10.The handle 10 is operated by one hand a reel body is held by the otherhand with the thumb placed on the upper surface of the upper frontportion of the reel side plate 17, to carry out a fishing operation.During this operation, the take-up speed can be changed speedily to ahigh or low level by turning the operating member 18 quickly by thethumb placed on the reel side plate 17.

In the above embodiments, the spool is fitted firmly around the spoolshaft so that the spool and spool shaft are turned unitarily. Thepresent invention can, of course, be applied to a double bearing typereel in which a spool is supported rotatably on a spool shaft viabearings, and to a fixed spool shaft in a single bearing type reel asnecessary.

The present invention is not, of course, limited to the aboveembodiments; it may be modified in various ways within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A speed changer for fishing reels, comprising adriving gear-carrying driving shaft having a driving gear mountedthereon, a handle-carrying handle-turned tube mounted on an outerportion of said driving shaft via a one-way clutch so that saidhandle-turned tube can be turned unitarily with said driving shaft in afishing line take-up direction, a spool-turning spool shaft and a pinionmounted on said spool-turning spool shaft, with which pinion saiddriving gear is meshed, planetary gears supported rotatably on shaftsextending from an inner end portion of said handle-turned tube, aninternal gear mounted on and rotatable with said driving shaft, withwhich internal gear outer portions of said planetary gears are meshed, asun gear fitted rotatably around said driving shaft, with which sun gearinner portions of said planetary gears are meshed, a change-over memberhaving locking teeth at its outer circumferential portion and formedunitarily with said sun gear, a stopper pawl pivotally mounted tocontact said locking teeth in one position and contacted by an operatingmember so that said stopper pawl can be engaged with said locking teethto stop rotation of said change-over member, and disengaged from saidlocking teeth, by said operating member, and a brake member engaged withsaid locking teeth of said change-over member, which provides a brakingforce resisting rotation of said change-over member, and means toregulate said braking force, said brake member being supported pivotablyon a reel side plate via a support shaft spaced from said handle-turnedtube.
 2. A speed changer for fishing reels according to claim 1, whereinsaid means to regulate said braking force includes a frictional memberengaging said brake member to resist rotation of said change-overmember.
 3. A speed changer for fishing reels according to claim 1,wherein said means to regulate said braking force includes a springwhich biases said brake member toward said locking teeth, and means toregulate the biasing force of the spring.
 4. A speed changer for fishingeels according to claim 1, wherein said driving gear is mounted on saiddriving shaft via another frictional brake member so that the drivingshaft-binding force of said driving gear is transmitted frictionally tosaid driving shaft by said other frictional brake member.
 5. A spedchanger for fishing reels according to claim 1, wherein said operatingmember for engaging and disengaging said stopper pawl with and from saidlocking teeth is provided at an upper portion of a handle-side reel sideplate on the front side of said spool shaft, said operating member beingoperable by the thumb of one hand holding a reel body, with the otherhand operating said handle.